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Saturday, October 15, 2016

“At the center of our being is a point of
nothingness which is untouched by sin, and by illusion, a point of pure truth,
a point or spark which belongs entirely to God, which is never at our disposal,
from which God disposes our lives, which is inaccessible to the fantasies of
our mind or the brutalities of our will. This point of nothingness and of
ABSOLUTE POVERTY is the pure glory of God in us...It is like a pure diamond,
blazing with the invisible light of heaven. It is in EVERYBODY, and if we could
see it we would see these billions of points of light coming together in the
face of a sun that would make all the darkness and cruelty of life vanish
completely...I have no program for this seeing. It is only given. But the gate
of heaven is everywhere.” These are the famous words of Thomas Merton which I
first read as I was reading a book of Henri Nouwen's thoughts. They really
startled me, and have been food for thought over the years. What great treasure
lies, sometimes undiscovered, in our spiritual tradition. Thank God our Pope is
leading us, as one writer has so aptly put it, down “dusty roads.” These so
called “dusty roads” are leading us back so we can again be encouraged, and
revitalized.

Our
Pope is not saying anything that is really new. All he is brave enough to do is
to remind us of who we really are in “the unconditioned, unlimited,
unrestricted love” of our Gracious Prodigal Father. He is not saying in which
has not already been taught in theology class. Maybe because there has been a
lack of healthy theology flowing from the pulpits, that we are not aware of
whom we really are in the love of our Mother/Father God. How many sermons are
given on how difficult it is to commit a mortal sin? Those words “mortal
sin” are thrown around like shamrocks on St. Patrick's Day. There is no
teaching of what state of consciousness is required by church law for the
committal of such a sin? It appears that grave matter, perfect knowledge, and
full consent are not preached anymore. This leads to people confessing as
mortal sin that which is venial sin. It results in Catholics living in
unnecessary guilt, because they are not informed as to the true teaching of
Catholic Morality. There is a constant struggle to bring penitents to a healthy
understanding of what sin really is. This actually takes up a great deal of
time in the celebration of the sacrament of Reconciliation. When asked what sin
really is, so very, very few can give a theologically correct answer. There is
always the possibility you are told you do not know how to do your job, because
one does not buy into their messed up theology. There can quiet a
conversation!!! It at times leads to the confession of a root sin, which has
never been really been dealt with. It was “glamorous” enough. Really!!!!
There is so much to be done in this field. That is why now we hear so many
shocked gasps when the Pope is only teaching the REAL TRUE theology of the
church. Some want to make excuses, “He really did not really mean that.” Let us
be honest, the emphasis has not been on what is right with us, i.e.
Merton’s words above, so we are not geared, disposed to hear the good
news. We are not disposed to readily accept the fact that we are ever and
always the beloved of our gracious Father/Mother creator. That is why I love
that quote; “God help me to believe the truth about myself, no matter how
beautiful.”

As I reflect on my days in Dr.Lennon's Moral
theology class I remember that the first thing that was pointed out was that
mortal sin was as the result of the human action of a person. A human act was
the result of a knowing mind and a consenting will. No one can judge the
individual state of mind of another person. That is why a confessor is taught
to listen to the person’s story. Any story has so many levels to it. That which
we are conscious of and then there is the unconscious acting out. Any action
can only be judged to be such a sin by the informed conscious of the
individual. Not in the estimation of the confessor. The confessor can point out
the gravity of the action. What sin it is, mortal or venial, lies in the
existential, the here-and-now, and state of mind. Our action will reflect the
relationship, as it is being lived out right now, between us and God. Sin has
to do with the frame of mind of the person at the moment, not 5 seconds later,
nor 5 minutes later, nor 5 years later. We must remember all the circumstances
of the moment will have an effect on our freedom, and our ability to respond, and
so, be responsible.

Sin is the free,
deliberate, conscious decision to knowingly reject God's love and choose that
which is opposite. It has to be the deliberate, thought-full rejection of
Goodness so as to choose a destructive evil. It is to say to God, consciously, “I
am by this action rejecting your love, and the possibility of heaven, and
choosing to go to hell, a place where Your love is not. I want to be separated
from You, beginning here and now and for all eternity.” We must also keep in
mind that of all the billions who have passed through this world the church has
never taught that even one of those billions is in hell. There have been some
bad “dudes” and "dudettes" on this space ship of ours and we teach no
one is definitely in hell. Here is something I have said so often, I can now
use it in a sermon without a note:“God’s
mercy is greater than our sins. There is an awareness of sin that does not lead
to God but rather to self-preoccupation. Our temptation is to be so impressed
by our sins and our failings, and so overwhelmed by our lack of generosity we
get stuck in a paralyzing guilt. It is the guilt that says I am too sinful to
deserve God's Mercy. It is the guilt that leads to introspection instead of
directing our eyes to God. It is the guilt that has become an idol and
therefore a form of pride” Henri Nouwen “A cry for Mercy.”